09/11/2026
September 11, 2001 — We Will Never Forget
Today marks 25 years since our country was changed forever.
For those of us who wear a badge, September 11th carries a meaning that is difficult to put into words.
On that morning, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and ordinary Americans faced something unimaginable. First responders ran toward the danger, knowing there were people who needed them. Many of them would never make it home.
2,977 people lost their lives that day. Behind every one of those numbers was a husband or wife, a mother or father, a son or daughter, a brother or sister, a friend, and a life that mattered.
As Sheriff, I think about that sacrifice often.
Every time one of our deputies puts on that uniform and pins on that badge, there is a responsibility that comes with it. We don’t know what the next call will bring. We don’t know who will need us. But we know that when that call comes, we go.
That is what those who gave everything on September 11th did.
They went.
They went into the buildings.
They went toward the smoke.
They went toward the people who needed help.
And they gave everything they had.
Today, I ask our community to remember not only the lives that were lost, but also the courage that was shown.
Remember the families who waited for loved ones who never came home.
Remember the first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Remember those who survived but carried the scars of that day for the rest of their lives.
And remember the unity our country found in the days that followed.
As Sheriff of Lincoln County, I am proud of the men and women who serve beside me. We may serve a small community, but the oath we take is no smaller. We stand ready to protect our neighbors, help those in need, and answer the call—whatever that call may be.
Twenty-five years later, their sacrifice still matters. Their courage still inspires us. Their names still deserve to be remembered.
May we never become so accustomed to September 11th that we forget what it cost.
May we always remember.
May we always honor.
May we always be willing to answer the call.
🇺🇸 Never Forget.
Sheriff René P. King
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office